With My Life
by I' shou'L'd be 'OVE'r 'YOU
Summary: This is a short story starring my original character, Aria, and Jace from The Mortal Instruments series.
1. Introduction

Dear Reader,

This is a short story starring my original character, Aria, and Jace from _The Mortal Instruments_ series. I have not read the books and I don't always feel comfortable writing things based from movies. I took his kindness and his likeness and developed this brief but seemingly complete story. I hope you enjoy it.

Please review.

Signed,

The Author


	2. With My Life

With My Life A short story inspired by:

Cassandra Clare's _The Mortal Instruments_

My stupid class ran late. The walk home would be a walk in the dark. I put my earphones in and decide not to rush. As the songs from the new Paramore album play softly in my ears, I sing the ones that I know. As the song changes, my steps are halted by the sound of a voice. I push the button on the headphone mic, pausing the music, and look around me.

"Hello?"

There isn't an answer so I shrug, press play and go back to walking. Once again as the song changes, I hear that voice but this time it sounds closer. And this time when I turn I see two people standing in the light of a streetlight. I look at her and I look at him. They both smile and their eyes flash a bright yellow.

I start to back away slowly as they begin to walk toward me. I turn to run but I don't even make one step. The man puts his hand around my throat and lifts me. I don't struggle but I'm losing the ability to breathe.

"Look, Lita, she's wearing the necklace."

"She just made our job that much easier."

As my vision begins to blur, there's a noise like a knife tearing through something. When my feet hit the ground again, I'm not standing long. As the woman, Lita, fights this hooded figure, I lean against the fence and try desperately to regain control of my lungs.

The woman is dead when I finally look up again. The hooded figure looks down at me with blue eyes and golden hair.

"Are you all right?"

"I…"

Everything goes black.

XXXXX

When my eyes open again, I'm in my apartment. I sit up and a towel falls from my forehead. I hear the shower running. I stand up on wobbly legs and make my way to the bathroom. I push the door open quickly to find a man in my shower.

He turns the water off the moment he sees me and wraps a towel around his waist.

"You're awake."

"Who are you? What happened?"

"You were attacked. I saved you and brought you back here."

"Who are you? And why are you using my shower?"

"My name is Jace Wayland. I'm using your shower because I needed to."

I put my hand to my forehead and laugh through my nose, "Whatever."

I leave the bathroom and I'm still barely able to walk. Jace catches me just before I hit the floor.

"You never should have gotten out of bed."

"I wanted to know who was here."

"Well now you know so back to bed with you."

I allow him to carry me to the bed. He sits me down softly and goes back to the bathroom. I watch him through the open door. His body is slender but muscular. His skin is covered in tattoos, symbols that I've seen before. I reach over to my nightstand drawer and pull out the stack of papers hidden there. I sort the stack pulling every page that has a matching symbol to the ones on his skin.

"Who are you?" I say with an intended seriousness.

When he comes out the bathroom he's drying is hair with a towel, "I told you."

"Tell me the truth."

I pick up the stack of papers and hold them out to him. He takes them from me and eventually he figures out that I put everything together.

"Do you know what these are?"

"No but I've been drawing them for the past year."

I see my bag is on the bed so I reach for it, pulling it over to me. I take out my notebook and trade him for the papers. He flips through the notebook and sees what I know is there. More of those symbols drawn in the margins, hidden in words, drawn on whole pages.

"What does all of this mean?"

"It means you're like me, a shadowhunter."

"Shadowhunter?"

He sits across from me and puts his hand over mine, "I come from a group of people who have dedicated their lives to hunting demons. These symbols are runes and each does something different when we apply them to our bodies."

"I don't want that."

"Well you don't have a choice. Those same demons are after you and without my help you will die."

We stare at each other in silence and I break it with a sob. I start crying like never before and he doesn't seem surprised. Instead, he reaches out and puts his hands on my shoulders. He moves closer to me, holding me in his arms as I cry. His chest is bare and as I begin to calm I trace the rune on his left shoulder.

"What does this mean?"

I know he's smiling, "It means soundless. It allows me to move without being heard."

"Oh."

"Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess. My name is Aria, by the way."

"I know." He continues, more than likely noticing the confused look on my face, "I found your student ID."

I nod.

"Are you hungry?" he asks.

"I guess."

He smiles and leaves the room. I hear some noise and after a while, he comes back. He holds out my leftover Chinese food to me.

"It'll do."

I take the box from him and eat slowly, picking my way through while my mind wanders.

"Hello? Earth to Aria. Are you listening to me?"

"What?"

"You spaced out. I was trying to ask you if those people said anything while they were trying to kill you."

"The woman's name was Lita and they seemed very interested in my necklace." I mutter before taking another bite.

I remove the necklace and toss it to him, knowing he's about to ask for it. He nods and grips the charm in his hand.

"What is it?"

"It's the symbol for loyalty. Where did you get this?"

"My father gave it to me when I was a kid. He died a month later. I don't understand. What's going on?"

"Your father was a shadowhunter and you are his heir. This necklace is blessed with the power of a long standing group of hunters. This makes you loyal to them as long as you wear it."

"I only wear it because my father gave it to me. I am not loyal to anyone."

"I know that but they don't. You're not safe here."

I don't finish eating; I can't.

"Jace, what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm going to take you somewhere."

I'm in shock, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Please we don't have time for you to argue with me. I need you to pack a small bag, something you can keep on your back. Grab every sketchbook, notebook, and paper with the symbols on it." He reaches down to his boot and removes a wand of some sort, "Give me your hand."

I slowly give my right hand to him and his uses the lighted part of this wand-looking thing to draw a symbol on my hand. He draws something that looks like an eye on my palm.

"It is the symbol for voyance. This will allow you to see past a demon's glamour."

"That hurts."

"I know. It'll be better soon."

I watch the burn heal immediately and leave behind a black tattoo in its wake.

"We should go."

"Maybe we should wait until sunrise. Demons aren't the only creatures out there."

I nod and look at the clock. The glowing red numbers read 12:56 am, "How did it get so late?"

"You should get some sleep. I'll be on the couch if you need me."

He gets up to leave but I grab his hand, "Wait. You can stay in here with me if you want. I don't know how I feel about being alone right now."

He smiles, "If that's what you want."

I'm glad I wore a dress today; I don't have to change in front of him. I pull my socks off and drop them to the floor before turning off the lamp. I curl up under the covers and I can feel the mattress move beneath him as he lays down next to me. Why do I want him closer to me? I wonder…

I straighten out my legs and stretch as I yawn. He lets out a chuckle.

"What?"

"If you want me closer just say so."

"That's very presumptuous of you."

"Okay then. Good night."

I sigh, "Well…"

"I knew it."

He shifts and soon enough his arms are around me. I can feel his breath on my neck and I smile at the sensation. I roll over to look at him. Even in the dark I can make out all of his features.

"I can feel you watching me." His eyes open and he smiles.

"I'm sorry. I just never thanked you for saving me."

"You don't have to thank me. I intend to protect you with my life."

"Why? You don't even know me."

"I've learned plenty just from being around you and in this apartment."

"Then, by all means, tell me what it is you know about me."

"I know you're a terrible student that still does pretty well in class. I know you're shy but you insist on being an outgoing person. You don't care what people think because you are who you want to be. You love color but you prefer the darkness to the light. After looking through some of your artwork, I know you put real emotion into everything." He pauses and smiles again, "I also know that you were watching me when I was getting dressed earlier."

"I…um…"

"You don't have to explain yourself." He says before whispering, "But just for the record, next time you want to see me naked, you can just ask."

I hide my face to keep from laughing. His arm moves from on top of the covers to under them. He pulls me closer to him, eliminating what little space there was between us.

"What are you doing?"

"Aria, look at me." I do as he says, "Now tell me what you want."

"I…"

"You wanted me closer. I came closer. I know there's something else. Now tell me."

"I want…"

I have so much trouble forming the words. I want him to kiss me but how do I say it. I know nothing about him except that his name is Jace Wayland and he's a shadowhunter. No, I know more. I've been dreaming of his face since the drawing started. I've even drawn him a few times. I know he's a caring person. I know he wants nothing more than to protect me but if my dreams are accurate, he could never love me. It's not recommended for the life of a shadowhunter. I can't say that I care and I don't think he does either. I don't think about it when the words escape my mouth.

"I want you to kiss me."

He smiles, "Your wish is my command and my pleasure."

His lips meet mine with a ferocity I had never felt before. I can feel how much he had been holding back. Though I don't think I can get any closer, he tries anyway. His arm is tight around my waist. His body moves against mine and I moan into the kiss. His hand moves down my side, stopping on my thigh. One by one his fingers move under the hem of my dress.

I pull my lips away from his just long enough to whisper, "Yes."

He smiles and kisses me again. His hand moves up my thigh; it tightens on my hip and I find myself moaning again. He removes his lips from mine and smiles.

"I like the way that sounds." He whispers, "Do it again."

"Make me."

"You should not have said that."

Instead of kissing my lips again, he trails single kisses down my neck, down my shoulder and back up again. When his teeth replace his lips, the sensation sends a shock wave through my body. Another moan escapes my lips. He got what he wanted.

"It's your turn." I say.

I force him onto his back and smile at the look of surprise on his face. His chest is bare which makes this that much easier. I scratch down his chest and his eyes close. I can feel him convulse beneath me.

"There you have it."

I lean down and run my teeth across the flesh at his neck and place a kiss by his ear.

"You win." He mumbles.

"I know."

An inner turmoil erupts in my mind and I stop. What am I doing? I just met him a few hours again and I'm in bed with him. No, I've been seeing him in my dreams for nearly a year now. I just never knew his name. Now I do. His name if Jace Wayland and I love him. I'm in love with him.

He takes my hand in his and a glowing light emits from between our palms. I feel him lifting my dress up. Once the fabric is above my waist, I take over. I pull the dress over my head and simply toss it to the side. He has a mischievous looking grin on his face which causes me to worry just a bit. He sits up and when his hands pull my bra straps down, he speaks.

"Should we be doing this?" he whispers, before kissing my shoulder.

"I don't know but I can't say that I care."

He leans back against the headboard and looks at me. He reaches up and moves my hair from in front of my eyes.

"Just promise me a couple of things." He says with a smile.

"Sure."

"Promise me that this won't change us and promise me that you'll tell me if you want me to stop."

"I promise. Now I also need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise me that this won't turn out to be a one night stand."

"I think I can promise that."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He takes control then and for once I am okay with submitting. It is then that realize he has no pants on. I find myself giggling but he doesn't stop to ask me about it.

His hands move across my skin and somehow they find every spot that, with his touch, forces me to moan again and again. My feet are flat on the bed as his hands move to my hips and his fingers move under the elastic of my underwear. I flinch as he begins to pull them away. His hands stop at my knees and he tilts his head to the side.

"I'm fine."

He nods and keeps going. He leans back down and kisses my neck again. His tongue moves down the front of my torso and he places a kiss above my belly button. When his kisses move back up and his lips meet mine again, I want nothing more than to have him in every way that I can. At some point, whatever is left of our clothing is removed.

My fingernails dig into his back as he pushes into me. Each thrust sends a shockwave coursing through me and with each wave I find myself begging for more. I think he can feel it by the way he moves faster and forces himself deeper into me. My legs wrap around his waist as my hands push against his chest. I flip him to his back and he sits up quickly, pulling me as close to him as he can. I grind against him and his hands hold me steady as my head falls back.

We roll again and I am so happy my bed is low to the floor. Somehow, he's still under me when we hit the floor. We just start laughing.

"Are you okay?" he says between fits of laughter.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He laughs a bit more before sighing, "This kind of ruined the mood, didn't it?"

"Maybe a little but not so much that I'm done with you."

He chuckles and lifts me from the floor. He tosses me onto the bed and crawls onto the bed. We're right back where we were before we rolled only reversed.

When I finally look at the clock again, it's nearly three in the morning. I still can't sleep but I don't get out of bed. Instead I watch Jace. His hair is a messy curtain over his face. I reach up, moving his hair to the side. I smile when I see the peaceful look on his face. His eyes are closed and there's a smile on his lips.

I sigh. I can't just lay here. His arm is beneath me so I get up slowly. I go to the bathroom first and I shower. I stand there under the water for maybe ten or fifteen minutes. Before I know it, I'm crying silent tears. The events of the night run through my head over and over. Every time it ends with Jace holding me and it makes me regret every tear. I throw some water on my face and turn off the shower. I reach out for my towel but it's not there.

"He must have used it." I whisper, pulling back the shower curtain.

I watch the bed; Jace is still sleeping. I tiptoe over to the sink where the towel is draped over the edge. I wrap it around my body and reach for my brush. Where is it?

"Looking for this?"

I turn to see Jace leaning against the threshold of the door. I reach out to take my brush from him but he moves it away from me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Do not lie to me."

"I'm not."

He sighs, "You just gave yourself to me and now you think you can lie to me."

"Give me my brush and I'll tell you."

"Or," he smiles, extending his hand out to me, "you can come out here and tell me what's wrong while I brush your hair for you."

"I'm not going to win this one am I?"

He shakes his head. I walk past him and to the bed. I stand there next to it as he turns on the lamp and moves to sit in the center of the bed. He pats the spot in front of him and I slowly take him up on his offer. When the brush starts to move through my hair, he sighs.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

"I think I just broke down. I kept seeing it over and over again in my head. Those people, who were they?"

"Hunters. I don't know where they came from but they were sent here to find you. That's why I have to take you with me, so I can protect you."

I smile and he places a gentle kiss on the back of my neck. I look at my hand where he put the voyance rune. I look at my other hand to find another symbol there, one I had never seen.

"Jace, what is this?"

He reaches out and takes my hand in his. He smiles, "That light when I took your hand before, this is what it was. Look."

He holds his right hand next to my left. I smile at the sight of the matching symbols there on our palms.

"So what does this mean?"

"This means that, with my life, I will protect you because you are meant to be mine."

"Could it really be that we just met?"

"You've always known me."

He reaches to the floor and grabs his pants before reaching for my sketchbook where it sits on the nightstand. He takes a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and sets it in front of me. Then he flips through the pages of my sketchbook and settles on one image.

When he sets the book in front of me, I reach out and touch the page. It's a picture I drew of him about two months ago. He gives me the folded piece of paper.

"Open it."

I take the paper from him and unfold it. In front of my eyes is an image of me.

"I drew that nearly a year ago. I had no idea who you were but I knew I had to find you. I did. I found you six months ago and I've been watching over you since. Tonight, I knew I needed to be here."

"I'm glad you were."

"Aria, I'm pretty sure I love you."

"I love you."

I stay wrapped in the towel and we settle next to each other on the bed. I drift to sleep, taking comfort from the closeness and the feeling of his fingers twisting the ends of my hair.


End file.
